Columns

FURTHER TRAVEL AND LEARNING

Montanta’s Boulder Hot Springs Hotel and Healing Center

I stayed in monasteries during many of my travels and became fascinated with Asia and the teachings of Eastern philosophies. I also found that the spiritual foundations of native peoples around the world had a very similar basis.

After leaving Asia, I spent time in Australia with some instruction in Aboriginal Spirituality. I went on to spend time with the traditional Maoris in New Zealand.

In 1995, I moved to Montana. For seven years, I had close contact with Native Americans: Crow, Cree, Blackfoot, Piegan, Salish-Kootenai, Coleville, Nez Percé and Cheyenne–all Medicine People of their tribes.

These Native Americans came to Boulder Hot Springs where I lived and shared matters not commonly shared with whites. The Native Americans are patient watchers. They quietly observed me. After seven years they deemed me ready to be invited to Sundance.

The ceremony was a real honor and an extraordinary spiritual experience.

Sandy (Mar. ‘15) adds, “This time spent with people of other cultures helped me take a good look at my own. I was greatly dismayed to see how dishonest it was, how violent, abusive, materialistic and mechanistic. Where is the spiritual connection to Our Creator and to Mother Earth? I have begun to suspect that we are the barbarians! ‘We have met the enemy, and it is us’, said Pogo, our Floridian comic strip mascot of years past.”